Hoodbanks9801

The biomarker potential of circulating RNAs has been recognized in several disease conditions, including cardiovascular disease. RNA biomarkers may be useful in the current COVID-19 situation. The discovery, validation and marketing of novel biomarkers, including RNA biomarkers, require multi-centre studies by large and interdisciplinary collaborative networks, involving both the academia and the industry. Here, members of the EU-CardioRNA COST Action CA17129 summarize the current knowledge about the strain that COVID-19 places on the cardiovascular system and discuss how RNA biomarkers can aid to limit this burden. They present the benefits and challenges of the discovery of novel RNA biomarkers, the need for networking efforts and the added value of artificial intelligence to achieve reliable advances.

Effective strategies to reverse the increasing trend of sedentary behavior after retirement are needed. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of 12-month activity tracker-based intervention on daily total and prolonged sedentary time (≥60min) among recent retirees.

Randomization to intervention and control groups was performed to 231 retirees (mean age 65.2 (SD 1.1) years, 83% women). Intervention participants wore a consumer-based wrist-worn activity tracker (Polar Loop 2, Polar, Kempele, Finland), including daily activity goal, every day and night for 12 months. The activity tracker also gave vibrating reminders to break up uninterrupted inactivity periods after 55 minutes. A wrist-worn triaxial ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer was used to measure sedentary time at baseline and at 3-, 6- and 12-month time points.

The use of an activity tracker did not reduce daily total or prolonged sedentary time over 12 months (p values for time*group interaction 0.27 and 0.39, respectively). In the post-hoc analysis focusing on short- and medium-term effects on prolonged sedentary time, no differences between the intervention and control groups over three months were found, but a tendency for a greater decrease in prolonged sedentary time in the intervention group over six months was seen (mean difference in changes between the groups 29min, 95% CI -2 to 61).

The activity tracker with inactivity alerts did not elicit changes in sedentary time over 12 months among recent retirees. Alternative approaches may be needed to achieve long-term changes in sedentary time among retirees.

The activity tracker with inactivity alerts did not elicit changes in sedentary time over 12 months among recent retirees. Alternative approaches may be needed to achieve long-term changes in sedentary time among retirees.

Although some components of the Mediterranean diet have shown benefits in pain risk through its anti-inflammatory/antioxidant properties, no population-based studies have investigated the effect of adherence to this diet on changes in pain over time.

We used data from 864 and 862 older adults recruited in the Seniors-ENRICA-1 and Seniors-ENRICA-2 cohorts and followed-up for 2.8 and 2.4 years, respectively. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed with the MEDAS score at baseline. selleck inhibitor Frequency, severity and locations of pain obtained at baseline and follow-up were used to compute a pain scale. Analyses were performed using multinomial logistic regression models, and adjusted for the main confounders.

Participants had a mean (SD) age of 71.5 (5.1) years, 36.8% were men and 78.3% had chronic conditions. In the pooled cohorts, compared with participants in the lowest quartile of the MEDAS score (lowest adherence to the Mediterranean diet), those in the highest quartile showed a higher frequency of pain improvement versus worsening (relative risk ratio [95% confidence interval] 1.43 [1.03,1.99]). This association was also evidenced in two components of the pain scale improvement in pain severity (1.43 [1.01,2.04]) and reduction in pain locations (1.54 [1.08,2.20]), but a tendency to pain frequency improvement (1.34 [0.92,1.93]) was also observed. The main contributors to these associations were high consumption of fruit and vegetables, and low consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.

A higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was related to a subsequent improvement in pain characteristics in older adults, suggesting that improving diet quality may help reduce the high health impact of pain.

A higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was related to a subsequent improvement in pain characteristics in older adults, suggesting that improving diet quality may help reduce the high health impact of pain.

Distal aortic perfusion (DaP) is a widely accepted protective adjunct facilitating early reinstitution of visceral perfusion during extended thoracic and thoraco-abdominal aortic repair. DaP has also been suggested to secure distal inflow to the paraspinal collateral network via the hypogastric arteries and thereby reduce the risk of spinal cord ischaemia. However, an increase in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure is frequently observed during thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of DaP on regional spinal cord blood flow (SCBF) during descending aortic cross-clamping and iatrogenic elevation of cerebrospinal fluid pressure.

Eight juvenile pigs underwent central cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass according to our established experimental protocol followed by aortic cross-clamping of the descending thoracic and abdominal aorta-mimicking sequential aortic clamping-with the initiation of DaP. Thereafter, CSF pressure elevation was induced by the infusiaco-abdominal aortic repair may be associated with inadequate spinal protection particularly at the mid-thoracic spinal cord level ('watershed area') and result in the adverse effect of a potentially dangerous hyperperfusion of the distal spinal cord segments.

The impact of the COVID-19 public health social measures (PHSM) on health behaviours is poorly understood. We aimed to identify factors associated with changes in alcohol and tobacco consumption during the strictest period of PHSM 'lockdown'.

Logistic regression analysis were conducted using secondary data from the Central Statistics Office Social Impact Survey collected during lockdown in Ireland (April 23rd-May 1st, 2020).

Of the 1,362 (33.8%) individuals that responded to the survey, 80.6% were current drinkers and 26.0% were smokers. The majority of smokers (60.9%) and drinkers (60.6%) reported no change in consumption. However, 30.5% of smokers and 22.2% of drinkers reported increased consumption. Being concerned about household stress from confinement (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3-2.9, p = 0.002), working from home (aOR 2.1, 95 CI 1.4-3.3, p < 0.001) and urban living (aOR 2.0, 95 CI 1.5-2.9, p < 0.001) were associated with increases in alcohol consumption. Feeling very nervous (aOR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2-4.g inequalities in harmful consumption.The purpose of this study was to compare hybrid intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (Hybrid IMRT/VMAT), with non-coplanar (nc) IMRT and nc-VMAT treatment plans for unresectable olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB). Hybrid IMRT/VMAT, nc-IMRT and nc-VMAT plans were optimized for 12 patients with modified Kadish C stage ONB. Dose prescription was 65 Gy in 26 fractions. Dose-volume histogram parameters, conformation number (CN), homogeneity index (HI), integral dose and monitor units (MUs) delivered per fraction were assessed. Equivalent uniform dose (EUD) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) based on the EUD model (NTCPLogit) and the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman model (NTCPLKB) were also evaluated. We found that the Hybrid IMRT/VMAT plan significantly improved the CN for clinical target volume (CTV) and planning treatment volume (PTV) compared with the nc-VMAT plan. In general, sparing of organs at risk (OARs) is similar with the three techniques, although the Hybrid IMRT/VMAT plan resulted in a significantly reduced Dmax to contralateral (C/L) optic nerve compared with the nc-IMRT plan. The Hybrid IMRT/VMAT plan significantly reduce EUD to the ipsilateral (I/L) and C/L optic nerve in comparison with the nc-IMRT plan and nc-VMAT plan, but the difference in NTCP between the three technique was less then 1%. We concluded that the Hybrid IMRT/VMAT technique can offer improvement in terms of target conformity and EUD for optic nerves, while achieving equal or better OAR sparing compared with nc-IMRT and nc-VMAT, and can be a viable radiation technique for treating unresectable ONB. However, the clinical benefit of these small differences in dosimetric data, EUD and NTCP of optic nerves may be minimal.Current coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused massive loss of lives. Clinical trials of vaccines and drugs are currently being conducted around the world; however, till now no effective drug is available for COVID-19. Identification of key genes and perturbed pathways in COVID-19 may uncover potential drug targets and biomarkers. We aimed to identify key gene modules and hub targets involved in COVID-19. We have analyzed SARS-CoV-2 infected peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) transcriptomic data through gene coexpression analysis. We identified 1520 and 1733 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from the GSE152418 and CRA002390 PBMC datasets, respectively (FDR 0.90 suggesting the biomarker potential of the hub genes. The regulatory network analysis showed transcription factors and microRNAs that target these hub genes. Finally, drug-gene interactions analysis suggests amsacrine, BRD-K68548958, naproxol, palbociclib and teniposide as the top-scored repurposed drugs. The identified biomarkers and pathways might be therapeutic targets to the COVID-19.

The precise cellular identity and molecular features of non-myocytes (nonCM) in a mammalian heart at a single cell level remain elusive. Depiction of epigenetic landscape with transcriptomic signatures using the latest single-cell multi-omics has the potential to unravel the molecular programs underlying the cellular diversity of cardiac non-myocytes. Here, we characterized the molecular and cellular features of cardiac nonCM populations in the adult murine heart at the single cell level.

Through single-cell dual omics analysis, we mapped the epigenetic landscapes, characterized the transcriptomic profiles and delineated the molecular signatures of cardiac nonCMs in the adult murine heart. Distinct cis-regulatory elements and trans-acting factors for the individual major nonCM cell types (endothelial cells, fibroblast, pericytes and immune cells) were identified. In particular, unbiased sub-clustering and functional annotation of cardiac fibroblasts (FB) revealed extensive FB heterogeneity and identified nonCM in the heart and differentially expressed genes with regulatory factors. Unveiling the heterogeneity of nonCMs and molecular signatures of each cell type or subtypes allows for study, precise capture and manipulation of specific cell type(s) in heart and will provide insights into the development of therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) normally exhibit a very low proliferative rate. Vessel injury triggers VSMC proliferation, in part, through focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activation, which increases transcription of cyclin D1, a key activator for cell cycle-dependent kinases (CDKs). At the same time, we also observe that FAK regulates the expression of the CDK inhibitors (CDKIs) p27 and p21. However, the mechanism of how FAK controls CDKIs in cell cycle progression is not fully understood.

We found that pharmacological and genetic FAK inhibition increased p27 and p21 by reducing stability of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2), which targets the CDKIs for degradation. FAK N-terminal domain interacts with Skp2 and an APC/C E3 ligase activator, fizzy-related 1 (Fzr1) in the nucleus, which promotes ubiquitination and degradation of both Skp2 and Fzr1. Notably, overexpression of cyclin D1 alone failed to promote proliferation of genetic FAK kinase-dead (KD) VSMCs, suggesting that the FAK-Skp2-CDKI signaling axis is distinct from the FAK-cyclin D1 pathway.